The Prime Minister Boris Johnson can count on the support of at least one Swindon MP.

Assuming public pronouncements are accurate.

North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson has expressed his support for the embattled Mr Johnson as he faces a vote of no confidence.

With at least 54 letters of no confidence in him as party leader sent to the chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, there will be a vote tonight of all 359 Conservative MPs.

The magic figure is 180. If that number say they have confidence in Mr Johnson, he can stay on, if 180 vote against him, then the party will need to find a new leader, who will, in time, become Prime Minister.

Mr Tomlinson responded to a tweet by another Conservative MP Paul Bristow, MP for Peterborough who entered parliament in 2019 as part of Mr Johnson’s victory that year.,

He tweeted: “Today I shall back a PM who: Won an 80 seat majority just over two years ago, solved the deadlock of Brexit, put jabs in arms & ended COVID lockdowns, has stood with Ukraine, Delivered the lowest unemployment since 1974. The PM won our party a majority & deserves to govern.”

Mr Tomlinson quote-tweeted that adding: “Absolutely. We won seats up and down the country because of the PM. Seats we have never won with any other party leader. On the key issues that matter; Brexit, the vaccine, Ukraine & employment - the PM has delivered.”

The vote will be held between 6pm and 8pm tonight, with results announced later.